about letters to congresscritters...
Everyone inside the Beltway knows that for the average citizen to write or call his or her U.S. representative is a waste of time. Period. Yet, through a force as mysterious as gravity, this kind of information stays within the circle. Whenever I hear someone proudly declare that they feel so strongly about an issue, they are going to write to their congresswoman, I say, "Don't bother."[link|http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/01/11/INGHT44JFQ1.DTL|http://www.sfgate.co...1/INGHT44JFQ1.DTL]
Don't bother, because the only person who's going to read your letter or hear your phone call is an intern, or if you're lucky, a legislative assistant (L.A.), at the bottom of the congressional payroll. Interns don't make policy decisions or even speak with congressmen. They sort your mail and answer your phone calls.
I know, because after my first year of college in Washington, I weathered the summer intern scene, where college kids from across America descend upon the capital like a hailstorm of idealism, ambition and naivete. Yes, it's an inglorious position, but still on the inside, and we know best that your letter or phone call is a waste of time.
Capital interns, no matter their office or political affiliation, begin each morning by sorting an avalanche of mail. Then, as sunlight creeps westward, they move to the phones, which begin to sound with the angry, concerned, friendly and sometimes clinically insane voices of America.
cordially,
